Panasonic: Working Towards Japan’s 2050 Net-Zero Goal

Japan’s commercial environment is a major contributor to the country’s overall emissions, which is why Panasonic is taking charge of its own strategy to meet the government’s national net-zero emissions target. 

The Japanese government set a strategic goal of net zero by 2050, and Panasonic matches this call to arms with its GREEN IMPACT (PGI) vision. This page outlines the drivers of the technology company’s strategy and what it hopes to achieve in the lead up to the emissions reduction deadline. 

Key drivers of the PGI: 

• The planet is the warmest it has ever been in 1,400 years, and human action is seen to be one of the primary factors of this
• The number of natural disasters is increase, which also impacts economic development globally 

As a global business, Panasonic has a role to play in shaping Japan’s future, which echoes worldwide through various facilities in North America, Latin America, Europe, Southeast Asia and China. 

What are Panasonic’s sustainability targets? 

The Panasonic Group declared the task of reducing emissions by 300 million tons by its governments’ deadline. 

• At the end of 2021, the company produced 110 million metric tons and avoided 23.5 million
• By the end of 2025, Panasonic Group will cut 16.4 million tons and avoid a further 14.8 million tons 
• In 2031, the company will have reduced its emissions by 31.5m tons and avoid 93 million more
• dIn 2050, the business will reach a full carbon reduction of 110 million tons and avoid another 200 million 

“We have an enormous responsibility when it comes to promoting decarbonisation,” says Kaoru Manabe, General Manager at Panasonic. “We want to achieve sustainability through every single one of [our] businesses.” 

The strategy for eliminating carbon emissions from global operations 

Advanced manufacturing will play a critical role in Panasonic’s decarbonisation efforts. Moreover, the technology giant looks to incorporate clean energy solutions into its operations, increasing the number of zero-emission facilities worldwide. 

Next is product and service emissions reduction: the development of more energy-efficient products and solutions that are not only built more sustainably, but reduce the impact of millions of uses among end consumers. A key step in this process could be the design as more manufacturers are looking to implement circular practices into making and producing electronics to avoid e-waste. While this doesn’t immediately impact the company’s emissions, poor processing of electronics waste will contribute to the end goal. 

Circular economy is noted as a key part of the company’s green transformation as the company builds a green management system to accelerate this alongside carbon reduction.

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